Best of Enemies

During the Democratic and Republican national conventions in summer 1968, the ABC television network was dead last in the ratings. To draw audiences, it presented a series of debates with William F. Buckley, Jr., a leader of the new conservative movement, and Gore Vidal, a leftist novelist and polemicist. Each believed the other’s political ideologies were dangerous for America, so when their live and unscripted exchanges exploded into vitriolic name-calling, it was unlike anything TV had ever broadcast. Viewers were riveted, ABC news ratings skyrocketed, and a new era in televised political discourse was born. 2015, DCP, 87 minutes.

Following the screening, join Walter F. Mondale and University of Minnesota professor Lawrence Jacobs for a discussion.

Cinema of Urgency is programmed in partnership with Full Frame Documentary Festival.